“The work to strengthen the airspace security on the south-western flanks will continue this year. In particular, air defense formations in Crimea will be augmented with organic units of S-400 air defense missile systems and Pantsyr-S surface-to-air missile/gun complexes,” the commander said.

The S-400 Triumfis the Russian long-range air defense missile system intended to hit attack and reconnaissance planes, including stealth aircraft, and any other air targets amid intensive fire and electronic warfare counter-measures. The S-400 can engage up to 80 targets at a time at a distance of 400 km and an altitude of 30 km.

The S-400 missile systems were for the first time deployed to Crimea in 2017 when an air defense missile regiment of the Southern Military District armed with these complexes went on combat duty on the peninsula. In January 2018, two more S-400 battalions assumed combat duty in the area of Cape Fiolent in Sevastopol.